Never off Duty
by Mrs Pickle
Summary: Horatio gets involved in the kidnapping of a teenage girl and ends up relying on her help to get them both out safely
1. Chapter 1

Just a quick note to say I don't own CSI Miami or anything to do with it although I would love to own David Caruso.

**Chapter 1**

Horatio Caine sat relaxing at an outside table at his favourite café. It was Saturday morning and he was actually on a day off. He could have stayed at home but he liked to take in the hustle and bustle of Miami.

The museum across the road had a steady stream of people going in for the new exhibition that had just opened and he thought he might take a look later. The waiter brought his coffee, orange juice and croissants over with a smile. "Enjoy, Sir".

Horatio smiled his thanks then carried on reading his newspaper. He was dressed in light blue jeans and a loose fitting white short sleeved linen shirt, his red hair shining in the morning sun. As he took a sip of his coffee he heard a scream. Instantly he dropped the paper and looked up. His deep blue eyes scanned the area for the source, happily he sat back and relaxed as he saw it was just a couple of kids mucking around on the steps of the museum as the boy picked up a girl and she had screamed. He shook his head, he needed to relax more he thought.

An image of Marisol came to him and he wondered if he would have relaxed more if she was still here. He decided he would visit her grave later and he'd give Eric a call to come with him and then perhaps go for a beer after. He'd become quite close to him since his marriage to his sister and then after she had died and they had gone to Rio to kill the men who had ordered her death. He picked up the newspaper and started reading again.

Shannon Daily sat in the back seat of the chauffer driven limo on the way to the museum to meet a few of her friends for a day out, starting with the new exhibition and then just hanging out, getting something to eat and maybe seeing a movie later. She was really looking forward to the day as it was her birthday. She wasn't' normally allowed out for days like this. Her dad was a famous artist and since her mum had died in a car crash he had become paranoid that something would happen to her. So although she had everything she could wish for she didn't really have the freedom a normal teenager did. However, she had persuaded him to let her out on her birthday promising to ring him regularly. She was wearing her new Converse, her favourite ripped jean shorts and an England football shirt that her mum had bought her from a trip the year she had died. Her blond hair was short and spikey with red tips, which her dad was ok with. He was an artist after all and liked her to express herself any way she wanted to. As the car neared the museum she could see a few of her friends were already waiting for her on the steps. They were mucking about and she saw Danny pick up Jenny who screamed. She laughed and shook her head. The car came to a stop and Tony, the driver turned to her

"Don't forget to call you dad ok, and give me a ring when you're ready to come home. Have a great day." He finished with a smile.

"Yeah I will, on all those points. See ya later Tony. Thanks". She smiled back as she got out of the car then she waved at Tony as he drove off and made her way over to her friends.

Don Stevens sat in silence in the driver's seat of the black Nissan Navarah, which had two seats in the front, three in the back and then an open back, waiting just up the street from the museum. He was dressed all in black as were the other three men with him. They say in silence and had face masks in their laps but only Don and Rico had guns. They were just for insurance, to scare people in case anyone tried to stop them from doing what they had planned. The silence was broken by a scream. All four men jumped. Don looked up and saw a couple of kids mucking about on the steps of the museum. He wondered if they were waiting for the same kid as they were. He smiled to himself as he thought they would be waiting a long while. Just then he saw the limo pulling up and the smile left his lips as he said

"There's the car, get ready." All four men put their face masks on. Don and Rico checked their guns. They watched as the girl with short spikey blonde hair got out waved at the driver then turned to the kids on the steps. Don waited until the car drove off then started the engine and sped toward the museum.

The sound of screeching tyres and a revving engine made Horatio look up. As far as he was concerned that was never a good sound. He saw the black pick-up speeding towards the steps of the museum where a teenage girl had just got out of a limo. The pick-up stopped and four men jumped out all dressed in black with face masks on. Two of them were waving guns in the air, shouting at everyone to get down on the floor. The other two men were heading for the girl with the spikey hair. His instincts kicked in and he rose instantly and was half way across the road by the time he'd got his phone out.

"This is Lieutenant Horatio Caine. There's a kidnapping is progress outside Miami –Dade Museum. I'm on scene but am off duty."

Shannon had only gone a few paces when she heard the screeching tyres and revving engine. She turned to see what was going on and saw the pick-up stop and the four men jump out then she saw the guns. She turned and started running towards the entrance. Suddenly a shot was fired and everyone dived to the floor, which was just what the men wanted. Suddenly she felt a hand on her shirt pulling her up. She turned to see one of the men standing over her with a gun. She screamed as he pulled her to move. Then two more men ran towards her, all of them pushing and pulling her towards the pickup. She struggled as much as she could, kicking and punching blindly at the men. Suddenly she saw a man with a white shirt and deep red hair running up the steps behind the men and grab hold of one of them. The man wasn't expecting it and spun round just as the stranger swung a punch which connected perfectly with his chin and he slumped to the floor. Next he went for the man with the gun. The two wrestled with each other, both trying to get control of the gun. Shannon increased her struggle as now only one man had hold of her. But he was too strong and started dragging her towards the car. As Horatio struggled with the masked man he saw the girl being dragged away. As he twisted to try to get the man to release the gun he knocked the man's mask off revealing a Hispanic looking man with a scar on his left check. The man was surprised and stopped for a second as he realised that he could be identified allowing Horatio to grab the gun. He levelled it at the kidnapper when he felt an explosion of pain in the back of his head. Suddenly his legs gave way and he dropped the gun. He struggled to stay conscious, he knew the girl would be taken if didn't but his body wouldn't respond. He looked up just as the man he'd fought with swing a punch which connected with his jaw and finally sent him tumbling down the steps unconscious.

"You idiot, you let him see you." Don screamed at Rico.

"Shut up and grab him. We'll have to take him with us. He must be a cop of something. Get Jimmy and let's go."

Rico and Don grabbed hold of the limp body of Horatio and dragged him towards their car. Tommy already had the girl in the car with tape over her mouth and tied her hands. Jimmy staggered over and jumped into the passenger seat as Don and Rico shoved Horatio onto the floor by the back seat.

"Tape him and gag him." They jumped into the pick-up and sped off. The whole thing had taken just minutes and by the time the police arrived the pick-up was long gone, the only sign of a struggle was Horatio's phone and some blood which had come from the struggle on the steps.

Hope you enjoyed the first chapter please feel free to let me know what you thought.


	2. Chapter 2

As I said previously I don't own CSI Miami or anything to do with it.

**Chapter 2**

Shannon sat between the two men in the back of the pick-up. She couldn't stop shaking and was silently crying. She couldn't believe this was happening on her birthday. What did they want with her? What were they going to do? The man in the front seat turned around to her.

"You do what you're told and you won't get hurt! You keep quiet and sit still or you end up like him. Got it?"

Shannon looked down at the man who had tried to help her. His hands and feet were taped together and his mouth had a piece of tape over it too. There was blood on the back of his head but he seemed to be coming round. She nodded slowly.

"Take the tape off." The man on her left reached up and ripped the tape off. She breathed in sharply at the pain but didn't cry out.

The man on the floor shifted slightly.

"Is he ok?" she asked quietly. The man on her right looked down then stamped as hard as he could on Horatio's ribs making him grunt in pain.

"He's fine. Now shut up or he'll get a lot more than that!" The man on the floor looked up at her with the deepest blue eyes she had ever seen and nodded to let her know he was ok. She nodded back then sat back and stared out of the window as they travelled on in silence.

Horatio's head was throbbing and his ribs hurt as he breathed but he knew it was only bruising. He could see nothing from his position on the floor but was straining his ears to pick up anything that might give him a clue as to where they were going.

They seemed to have been travelling for quite a while when they came to a stop. Without a word the man got out of the pick-up. He pulled Shannon with him and Horatio could hear a sliding door of a van open then shut. Then he heard voices talking about him.

"What are we gonna do man?"

"I say we take him with us."

"What? Are you crazy? He's probably a cop; he'll be more trouble than it's worth. Let's off him now."

"You gonna kill a cop? You stupid? Listen, we can have a bit of fun with him. How often you wanted to smack a cop? We got our own pet cop to play with. No-one knows where he is. We can do what we want with him. Then, when it's all over we'll just dump both of them." Don said with a wicked grin.

The others laughed.

"Yeah man, good idea." Jimmy smiled.

"Ok, Jimmy and Dan put him in the van. Let's get moving. Rico, torch the pick-up" Don ordered.

Horatio mentally let out a sigh of relief. At least they were keeping him alive and the longer he was alive the more chance his team had of finding him and the girl.

He felt someone grab his feet and pull him roughly out of the pick-up onto the dirt. He didn't get much chance to look at his surroundings but turned his body so that the back of his head where he'd been hit and bleeding touched the soil. He wasn't sure if his idea would work but he hoped he'd left some blood there for one of his team to find.

Then two of the men took an arm each and dragged him across to the waiting van and threw him inside. He landed on the girl, but she said nothing and helped him to sit up with his back against the side of the van. Two of the men sat opposite, one of them with a gun pointed at them. There was a loud _whompf!_ from outside as the pick-up burst into flames then the fourth man got into the passenger seat. As they drove off Horatio stared at the two men across from him. They both still had their masks on and he could only see their eyes, but he looked at them intently trying to memorise them. The man with the gun couldn't take the deep blue eyes boring into him. He held the gun at Horatio's head. "Stop looking at me!"

Horatio knew he was getting at him, so he continued.

"I said stop! Stop now or I'll hurt the girl!" With that the gunman leant over and put the gun to the girl's forehead. She started crying and tried to back away. Horatio didn't want to chance them hurting her so he slowly looked down at the floor.

"Good, now stay that way til we stop or she'll get hurt." The rest of the journey was in silence. They travelled for what seemed like hours. Horatio didn't look up the whole time, but he did keep looking sideways at the girl, checking on her every now and then. She sat with her knees up to her chest with her taped hands resting on them. She stared straight ahead, not moving. Her spikey hair was a bit flat now, and tears had streaked her pretty face. He guessed she must be fifteen or sixteen, and he knew she must be terrified, but as least she was staying calm and quiet. He looked at her clothes-new Converse, denim shorts, and a soccer shirt of some kind. He could see nothing overly unusual, nothing giving him any clues as to why the gang had kidnapped her. His thoughts turned to his team, they would know by now he was missing and would be pulling all the stops out to find him. He just hoped it was soon. For the girl's sake.

Sorry it's be bit short.

Hope you enjoyed this chapter. There is plenty more to come.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Frank had been barking orders at everyone all day like a bear with a sore head. He had been first on the scene earlier that morning and had been beating himself up ever since for not getting there quicker. He had seen Horatio's phone and the blood on the steps and knew it did not look too good. On the other hand he did feel a bit better knowing that the girl had been taken with the best cop on the force and his best friend.

Eric came over to him as he stood at the reception of the lab.

"What you got, Frank?" the tall Cuban asked. He was normally quick to smile, but now he was all business. He was as worried about his brother-in-law and friend as Frank was.

"We got a report of a burnt-out pick up thirty miles of out Miami. I'm going out there now to take a look. Thought you might wanna come along."

"You bet. Let me get Calliegh."

Calliegh jumped out of her seat when Eric told her where he was going. The slim blonde was one of the best CSI's on the force and no one messed with her. Everyone on the team knew that she and Horatio had a special relationship, although nothing was ever said. She turned and looked at Alexx as she left. Alexx and Horatio had known each other for years, and Alexx was worried sick about him Not being a cop was frustrating for her knowing there was nothing she could do but pray for her friend's safe return.

"We'll find him Alexx. I promise" Calleigh whispered in her soft southern accent.

"I know you will, honey. Just be quick, For Horatio's sake" she replied. Calleigh nodded as she left.

Frank, Calleigh and Eric stood looking at the burnt-out pick up. It was looking pretty definite that they wouldn't get anything from it. Eric looked around him slowly, seeing if he could pick up anything when he noticed a dark smudge on the ground over to his left.

"Hey, Cal! Take a look!"

Calleigh followed him over to it with her kit. She took out a swab and touched it to the spot. Then sprayed it. The swab turned pink.

"It's blood. We'd better get this to the lab. Eric look down there. Does that look like drag marks to you?"

Eric bent down and nodded, then followed the drag marks to where they stopped. Then saw the tyre tracks.

"It looks like they dragged someone to another vehicle that was parked here. We need to get these back to Ryan and get trace to look at them". All three felt a bit better knowing that they were finally doing something to help their friend.

Sorry it's a short chapter but that's just the way it worked out.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Horatio's shoulders ached from his arms being tied behind his back for so long, but at least his head had died down to a dull ache instead of the intense pain from earlier. They had been travelling for hours, and now he was tired, sweaty, thirsty and hungry. He guessed it must be nearly night time. He was trying to work out how far they might have travelled when they stopped. The two men moved towards the sliding door and opened it.

"OK let's go. You first." The man pointed the gun at the girl. She hesitated making the man shout. "Come on, move, now!"

Shannon scrambled as fast as she could towards the door and was helped out.

"Now you. Let's go."

Horatio shuffled forward then as he got near the opening the two men grabbed him and yanked him out as hard as they could, then let go making him land face first, unable to stop himself. The man laughed.

"Get up!"

Don came over to him, as he slowly started to get to his knees.

"You need to be quicker than that." But without waiting he kicked Horatio in the stomach knocking him over.

"I told you to get up!" Don shouted.

Horatio lay trying to get his breath. Don nodded to the others and they all started kicking and punching him on the floor. Shannon could hear the grunts and moans of pain as they hurt him.

"Stop it! Stop it! He hasn't done anything wrong! You're hurting him!" she screamed at them and without thinking, ran over and pulled one of the men away and stood in front of the prone figure on the ground. The men stopped in amusement.

"Ok, little girl. We'll stop for now" Rico laughed. "Come on, let's get inside. Bring him in."

Jimmy and Brad grabbed him and dragged him into the old house they had stopped. Don pushed the girl forward as they went in. They took the two of them upstairs into a tiny bedroom with a single bed and a bucket in the corner. The small window had been boarded up, leaving only thin shafts of light peaking through. They dumped Horatio on the bed and pushed Shannon in after him. Then three of them left, leaving Don in the doorway.

"Don't even bother trying to get our or we'll kill both of you. You need to piss, use the bucket."

"Can you take the tape off please?" Shannon asked quietly. "We can't get out." Don thought for a minute then nodded. He took a knife from the back of his belt and cut the tape from around Shannon's wrists and the tape from Horatio's ankles. He then leaned over and ripped the tape off of Horatio's mouth causing an involuntary grunt. "Urgh." from him, then turned to leave.

"How about my hands?" he asked quietly.

"No chance."

"But what if I need to pee?"

Don looked at Horatio, then Shannon and smiled. "You got help."

Horatio looked at Shannon who went bright red and looked at the floor.

"Please!" Horatio looked intently at Don.

Eventually he nodded. "Ok, but I'm re-taping them at the front." Horatio nodded, relieved that he wouldn't have to put the girl through that. As the tape was cut he groaned at the pain in his arms and shoulders as they moved for the first time in many hours. He tried to push himself up, but he had no strength in his arms and the pain in his chest, back, stomach and ribs made it difficult.

Shannon moved over to him and helped him sit up. Don pulled the tape out of his pocket and re-taped his hands in front of him, then grabbed him by the front of his shirt.

"Don't forget. You try anything and we'll hurt the girl. Got it?"

Horatio didn't answer but nodded. Don pushed him back against the wall and left, locking the door behind him.

Horatio stayed leaning against the wall with his eyes closed. He felt the bed move next to him and opened his eyes to see Shannon next to him, a handkerchief in her hand.

"I was gonna wipe your face. Is that okay?"

His left eye was cut, and he had blood coming from his nose.

"Thank you. What's your name?"

"Shannon Daily. My dad's Peter Daily the artist. Are you a policeman?"

"Yes. Lieutenant Horatio Caine. I'm a CSI." At her look he explained.

"Crime Scene Investigator. I know of your dad's work. My friends call me H."

"Am I your friend?"

"You certainly are the way you stepped in earlier. Thank you."

Shannon smiled shyly. "I thought they weren't gonna stop. They could have killed you."

Horatio returned her smiled with a small one of his own, but didn't answer her.

"How about you? Are you okay?"

Shannon nodded. "They haven't hurt me, but I'm scared. I want my dad." She started crying.

"Come here sweetheart." Horatio lifted his arms and let her lean into him, even though it hurt. He knew she needed someone to hold onto right now.

"Sssh, it's gonna be ok Shannon. My team will find us." He stroked her hair and let her cry herself to sleep. After a while slowly and painfully he managed to lay her down on the bed. She was so exhausted that she didn't wake at all. He sat himself at the end of the bed and finally dozed off himself, his body needing to recover from the beating it had taken.

After a restless night Horatio finally got up slowly so he didn't disturb Shannon. He had slept fitfully as the sounds of her crying in her sleep and the bruising on his body kept waking him. He used the bucket in the corner, hoping she didn't wake up just yet.

Horatio walked over and peered through the cracks in the wood, trying to see if he could get an idea of where they were, when he heard the lock on the door being opened. He turned to see the man that had untied him enter, followed by the man with the Hispanic eyes. He was carrying a tray with a plate of toast and two glasses of water.

"Morning. Hope you slept well." Don said sarcastically. "Your daddy got the ransom note last night, so it's all down to him now to make sure you stay safe."

Shannon sat up but said nothing.

Then Don turned to Horatio. "You should make sure you eat. You're gonna need your strength later." Both men left, laughing.

Horatio sighed, he knew what was in store for him, but would willingly take another beating if it meant keeping their minds off of Shannon. The girl looked at him

"What did he mean?"

"Nothing for you to worry about. How are you feeling?"

"Ok, I guess. I'm glad you're here." Horatio tipped his head slightly to the side and gave her a small smile.

"So am I Shannon. So am I."

The two of them spent the next few hours talking, neither of them wanting to think about what might happen later.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Frank was just getting out of the lift when he heard someone call his name.

"Hey Frank."

"Hey Ryan. Have you got anything for me?"

The young CSI nodded quickly. "Yes. We got a make and a model on the tyre tracks and the blood is a match to Horatio's."

"Great. I'll start running a check on the van. At least we know Horatio must still be alive, the amount of blood at the scene indicates only a minor wound. We got a note from the kidnappers last night for the girl, but nothing was mentioned about H. We're gonna ask them next time they contact the father. He's arranging to pay the ransom so we may be able to track them."

"Good. Make sure you keep us up to speed. We wanna be there if anything goes down."

Ryan looked at Frank with determination. Frank knew Ryan was the youngest member of the team and looked to Horatio as a father figure so he guessed how he was feeling at the moment. "Will do."

He turned and stepped back into the lift with the information Ryan had given him and left Ryan standing there watching him as the doors closed.

Don, Rico, Jimmy and Brad sat around the small wooden table in the kitchen of the old house they were hiding in. They were getting restless and a bit drunk. They were due to make another call to the father soon. Don decided to ring before they got too drunk. He picked up the phone and dialed.

Peter Daily answered after four rings. "Hello." His voice was very shaky.

"Have you got the money?"

"Yes. My daughter, is she alright?"

"Yeah she's fine. But she won't be if you don't do as I say."

"Please, let me talk to her" he pleaded

"Shut up and listen! Drop the money in the bin at the back entrance of the museum at ten o'clock. No funny stuff, no cops. Got it?"

"Ok."

Suddenly another voice spoke.

"This is Detective Frank Tripp speaking. Do you have another hostage, a male with red hair?"

Don didn't answer at first. He didn't know if he should let them know they had him or not. The other three around the table stared at him. What could they do? They had no idea where they were, and he'd be in no fit state to tell them anything if they did find him by the time they found them.

"Yeah, the idiot thought he could be a hero and stop us. What's it to you?"

"I wanna know if he's ok?"

"Is he a cop? What's his name." There was silence for a moment then he answered

"He's a CSI. Lieutenant Caine. Is he okay?"

"He's not too bad at the moment. But I can't promise he'll stay that way."

Eric's voice shouted from the background "You hurt him and I swear I'll…"

But Don cut him off by hanging up the receiver.

"He's a CSI. Lieutenant Caine." Brad looked at Don.

"Caine. He's the guy that put two of my friends away."

"Looks like you'll enjoy our bit of fun that much more then. Go and get him."

Brad stood followed by Rico with the gun. Now he knew he was a cop he wasn't going to take any chances.

Horatio and Shannon were sitting on the bed talking when the door was unlocked and the two men came in.

"Get up Caine" Rico ordered pointing the gun at him.

"Where are you taking him? What's going on?" Shannon asked in a shaky voice.

"Shut up! Come on, Lieutenant. We're gonna have some fun" Jimmy sneered.

Horatio's heart started pounding. They'd obviously found out he was a police officer. He knew what was coming but he turned to Shannon and quietly said "Don't worry Shannon. It'll be ok. Just hang in there."

Jimmy grabbed him and pulled him out of the room then the door was slammed shut, and Shannon was left alone for the first time since the ordeal had started. She sat on the bed with her knees up to her chin and started crying quietly.

Horatio was pushed down the stairs and through the kitchen where he saw the table full of empty bottles of beer and out into the backyard. The other two men were there already, without their masks. That wasn't a good sign he thought. It meant they were not worried about him seeing their faces, that probably meant they intended on killing him or at least making sure he was in no fit state to identify them. He was pushed from behind into one of them, the white man with a small scar on his left cheek, who spun him round to face the man next to him with blonde hair.

"So you're Lieutenant Caine. You put away two of my friends."

Horatio shrugged and quietly replied "They were guilty. You gentlemen should think about this carefully or you will regret it."

He spoke calmly even though his heart was racing and the feeling in the pit of his stomach was not good.

The blonde man laughed.

"No Lieutenant, you're gonna regret ever becoming a cop." With that Brad swung a punch at him. Horatio ducked and swung his taped hands up and into his stomach, knocking the wind out of him. As he was bent over holding his stomach, Horatio straightened up and hit him as hard as he could on the back of his neck.

Brad collapsed onto the dirt. Quickly Horatio turned towards the next man. Jimmy swung a punch which he saw just in time and leant backwards avoiding it but he couldn't avoid the kick that Don aimed at his back, knocking him off balance. As he stumbled, Jimmy caught him with a punch to the side of his head, making his head ring. He still managed to turn and catch Jimmy with a punch of his own busting his lip and making it bleed. He was just about to aim another punch when his knee exploded in pain.

Rico had stamped on the outside of his left knee. His leg gave way, and Horatio fell to the ground. Suddenly he was overwhelmed as two of the men grabbed an arm each. He struggled as hard as he could trying to stand, but then an arm came round his throat from behind and his hair was grabbed and yanked back. His throat was being squeezed by the arm and he was struggling to breathe. He stopped struggling and the arm loosened slightly.

"Not bad, Lieutenant, but you should have saved your energy."

Don stood just in front of him and smiled. Then without warning he punched Horatio as hard as he could in his stomach, again and again. Then the man holding his head let go came round the front and punched him in the face. He felt his lip bust then his nose and blood flowed freely. Then there were punches and kicks all at the same time as all four men started on him. Someone stamped on his left knee again and he felt the joint give. Just as he was losing consciousness, they stopped. The men holding him let go and he fell to the ground unable to move, his whole body hurting.

"I need a beer." Rico said.

"Yeah, me too. Who'd have thought kicking the crap out of a cop could make you so thirsty?" Don replied. The others laughed. "Get him inside."

Horatio felt hands on him lifting him. He tried to stand but he couldn't put any weight on his left leg, so they half supported, half dragged him into the house. As he came into the kitchen he saw a bottle opener on the table. He made himself fall onto the table as he passed, and although he received more punches, he managed to pick it up and hide it in his clenched hands. He was dragged up the stairs, the door to the bedroom unlocked and he was thrown inside. He didn't even make it to the bed as his leg gave way and he collapsed on the floor. Shannon put her hands to her mouth when she saw the state he was in.

"Oh god! Oh god! Oh god" was all she kept saying. The two men at the door laughed and slammed the door shut again.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6 **

Downstairs Don was getting ready to pick up the ransom money. He went outside to a small shed, opened it, and started up the motorbike inside. He checked the gun in his pocket, in case of any trouble, then waved to the others as he drove off. They knew what to do. They would release the girl as long as there were no problems, but if he didn't come back, they'd kill her and dump her body. They'd also decided to have a bit more fun with the cop when he came back and then dump his body. Everyone would be a winner except for the cop, and that was fine with him.

The money for the ransom was in a long black holdall. None of it had been marked or had a tracer in it. That was too obvious, but a tiny microchip had been attached to the inside pocket of the bag, so even if the kidnapper checked he wouldn't find anything. It also allowed the police to track the money from a long distance, allowing the kidnapper to think they weren't being followed. All the precautions had been taken, and Frank had followed the instructions, but he was still worried, as were the rest of Horatio's friends. Calleigh, Eric and Ryan all stood in silence as they watched everything made ready for the money drop. They could only imagine what Horatio and the girl were going through. They just hoped the kidnappers would honour the swap.

"OK, let's go. You guys can travel with me. We'll track the money remotely."

The three nodded in unison and followed him out of the room. Frank knew it wasn't the correct procedure for them to be involved, but he also knew that nothing on earth would stop Horatio's team from coming with him.

Horatio lay on the floor, not moving. He was taking quick, short breaths as his ribs, stomach and chest were so badly bruised it was difficult to breathe properly. His face felt swollen, but only one of his eyes was shutting. He knew his nose was broken, but most painful of all was his left knee. He didn't know whether it was dislocated, but he couldn't move it at all. Any attempt sent excruciating pain up and down the whole leg.

He looked up at Shannon, who was sitting on the edge of the bed. She was terrified and shocked and hadn't moved since he'd been thrown into the room. Her eyes were wide and her hands were still over her mouth.

He decided to try to get to the bed but only just managed to raise his head and upper body slightly before he finally lost consciousness.

Shannon sat petrified on the bed. She looked at the motionless form of Horatio on the floor. His face was bruised and bloody. His white shirt was also covered in blood and dirt and was ripped. She could see cuts and bruises all over his body and arms. His left leg didn't look right, and she wondered whether it was broken. As she sat there he finally looked up and tried to lift his body and then collapsed back onto the floor. Shannon thought he might have died. The thought filled her with dread. Even though she had only known him a short while she knew what a kind, strong and compassionate person he was, and she wasn't going to leave him like that. She knelt beside him and slowly put her hand on his chest. It was still moving but only just. She let out a sigh of relief. As she took her handkerchief and gently started to wipe away the blood on his face, she realised she would need more than that. She stood up and pulled a sheet off the bed. She tried to tear it but wasn't strong enough. She looked around and noticed the sharp edges of the boards over the window. She hooked a corner of the sheet on one edge and pulled as hard as she could. The sheet ripped slightly, and she finished it off. She continued until she had made loads of strips and squares from the cloth, all the time checking on Horatio's breathing. She went and sat by him and undid his shirt and started cleaning all his wounds. She did get embarrassed for a second when she thought about the fact that she was touching a strange man's chest but quickly dismissed it. She spoke to him the whole time, telling him what she was doing, even though she wasn't sure whether he could hear her or not, but it felt like the right thing to do. Just as she was wiping away some blood from a cut on his ribs on his right side she pushed down a little too hard and he moaned quietly, then his eyes opened slowly.

It took him a few seconds to focus, but then he saw Shannon and gave her a small smile. She smiled back in relief.

"Hi H."

"Hi … yourself" he replied, quietly taking a painful breath in between the words.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you. I think one of your ribs might be broken."

Horatio looked past her and replied "It's okay.… It wasn't you… that hurt me…. Okay?"

Shannon nodded.

"I started cleaning you up. I hope that's okay." She looked at bit embarrassed, and he looked down to see his shirt was open. Horatio smiled slightly again as he realised that she'd been worried about him being upset at seeing his body.

"That's fine, Shannon... Just fine…. Thank you."

She smiled back at him, glad that he wasn't upset with her.

"I'm gonna need…you to help me…get on the…bed. I can't use…my left leg. Is…that okay, Shannon?" Every breath was agony for him, and talking made it worse, but he knew he had to get to the bed.

Shannon nodded looking at him seriously. "Just tell me what to do."

"Good. Okay…I'm gonna need you…to help me stand…and then take my…weight. Alright?"

She nodded again then helped him very slowly to get into a sitting position. Then she manoeuvered herself between his taped hands, facing him with her hands under his arms. This close to his face she could see how badly beaten his face was, but most of all she noticed the pain in the deep blue eyes looking intently into her own.

"On the count of …three, okay?" he whispered painfully.

"Okay."

"One, two, three."

As carefully as she could, Shannon stood up. Horatio put his weight on her, and she nearly stumbled, causing him to grunt in pain. She moved him sharply sideways making him catch his breath as his ribs moved. She regained her balance.

"Sorry." She was nearly crying at the thought that she had hurt him again.

Soothingly he whispered to her "It's okay, no problem…Now let's take it easy…As you move, I'll kinda…hop. Let's go."

Slowly and painfully they made their way to the bed. It took a while as they stopped after every hop to let the pain subside. Finally they got to the bed, and Shannon lowered Horatio down gently until he was lying down. She untangled herself from him and then looked at his leg hanging off the side of the bed. He saw her looking.

"Yes I need…to get…that on too." His breaths were even more ragged and he was sweating profusely from the pain and effort of getting to the bed. Shannon bent down and as gently as she could she moved his leg onto the bed. Horatio moaned loudly and arched his back as she placed it on the sheet. When he opened his eyes he saw she was crying.

"Hey, it's okay"

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean-"

Horatio didn't let her finish. "Shannon, look at…me. It's okay. It's a lot...better now…. Really, Sweetheart."

"Really?" she asked, not sure if she believed him. Horatio knew he needed to take her mind off of him.

"Look, I took this…from downstairs. Why don't you…see if you…can loosen those…planks on the…window."

She took the bottle opener he held out to her without speaking and started trying.

"I might doze…off, but that's…okay. My body needs…to rest."

"Yeah, I'll let you know if I get anything, H."

He just about heard her reply as he fell into an exhausted sleep.

Horatio struggled to wake up as Shannon shook him gently.

"H, H, wake up."

"Hmm, what is it? What's the matter?" he replied groggily.

"Nothing, but I've got all the boards off and unlocked the window."

"Well done…that's great." He looked at the fifteen-year-old's face. It was the first time since he'd known her that it showed hope. He looked down at her hands, which were bleeding. "What happened?"

"Oh, it's nothing. They just slipped a few times. Anyway I got fed up with you getting all the attention." She smiled at him.

"So when do we go?" she asked hopefully. Horatio looked at her solemnly.

"We, we don't go…anywhere. You, however, are… leaving now."

Shannon shook her head. "No, no way. I'm not going anywhere without. I'll help you. We can.." But Horatio stopped her.

"Listen to me Shannon…there's no way…I could make it out of that window…I would struggle to…stand. You have to go and get help."

Shannon was crying, but she knew what he said was true.

"But what if they…they'll hurt…." She couldn't finish the sentence.

"Sweetheart you have…to go now.… Ask for Frank Tripp…. Okay?" he spoke to her gently. She nodded and then stood up and leaned down giving Horatio a gentle hug. He took her head in his hands and kissed her on the forehead.

"Go.… I'll see you…soon…. Everything will be okay.… Hang in there."

She nodded, tears streaming down her face. She went over to the window and, without looking back, climbed through and down as quietly as she could.

As she reached the ground she took one last look up at the window and whispered "I'll come back for you, H. I promise." Then she ran as fast as she could down the lane, away from the house.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Shannon kept running even though she was exhausted. It was really dark now, as there were no street lights, so she had to be careful not to fall over.

Suddenly the silence of the night was broken by the sounds of a motorbike. It was still a fair ways away, but the sound carried. Then she saw the headlight bobbing in the darkness. Oh God, she thought, that must be one of the men coming back. She'd heard the bike leave earlier when she had first started cleaning Horatio up. She looked around, but there was nowhere to hide. The ground sloped down slightly on either side, so she did the only thing she could and lay down on one side, pressing herself into the ground as much as she could. She squeezed her eyes shut and held her breathe. All she could do was wait and hope he didn't see her. The minutes dragged by and seemed like hours until finally the motorbike passed her and kept on going. She almost sobbed with relief as she got up and started running again.

Frank was driving as carefully as he could with no lights on. They were following the tracking device, but were quite a way behind to make sure the kidnapper didn't realise he was being followed. The rest of the occupants of the car sat in silence and had done the entire journey. He knew what each of them was thinking; he was thinking the same thing. What was happening to Horatio? Was he okay? Was he even still alive. Of course they were worried about the girl as well, but Horatio was foremost in their thoughts.

They had been driving for miles when Calleigh leant forward and said in her soft southern accent "Frank, can you see something in the road up ahead?"

"Where? I can hardly see a damn thing without these lights on."

"Up the road. Put the lights on a second."

Frank did what she asked; sure enough there was someone running towards them in the middle of the road. He flashed the headlights to warm them, but they kept coming. Within moments he'd stopped the car as the figure ran up to the driver's side door. Frank had his hand on his gun just in case this was some kind of trick. As he lowered the window the person was already shouting at him.

"Please, you've got to help me! They've hurt him and I don't know what they'll do when they know I've gone."

"Whoa there little lady, slow down!" Frank tried to calm her down.

"No, I've got to find a policeman called Frank Tripp, he said to get him." The girl was nearly hysterical. Calleigh leaned across and spoke calmly but her heart was racing.

"Are you Shannon Daily?" The girl nodded.

"Where's Horatio?" This time there was more urgency in the question.

"He's back at the house. They hurt him really badly. He couldn't walk, so he sent me to get help. Please, I must find Frank Tripp!"

"It's okay, you've found him. Look, Calleigh will wait with you 'til backup arrives."

"No way! I'm coming with you!" The girl had a determination on her face that reminded Calleigh of their boss.

"Frank, we don't have time to argue!" Eric called from the back of the car. Let's get going!"

Frank thought for a second and then nodded. Eric jumped out and let Shannon in. He hadn't even shut the door when Frank pulled away.

Horatio heard the motorbike pull up outside, then the shouts of happiness as the men saw the money they had just made. His stomach twisted into a ball at the thought that they would come up any second to get the girl.

What would they do when they found she had already gone? There was nothing he could do about it, he just hoped Shannon could find help and quickly. He heard movement outside the door, then it was unlocked and the door opened.

The Hispanic kidnapper came in first, followed by the one that Horatio thought was the leader. Both had their guns pointed at him. It took only a second for them to realise Shannon was gone and to see the window she had escaped through.

"Shit! What we gonna do?" Rico turned to Don.

Don didn't answer but walked over to Horatio and put his gun to his head.

"How long has she been gone?"

Horatio smiled. "I'm sorry…I don't remember."

"Oh, really. Rico tie his hand to the bed!"

Rico moved to the bed and pulled Horartio's taped hands over his head and taped them to the bedframe. He couldn't help grunting in pain as his broken rib moved.

"How did she get out?" Don demanded.

"I don't know, man. I boarded the window myself." Rico went over to the open window and bent down, picking up the bottle opener and showing it to Don. "Look!"

"How the hell did she get that?" Don snarled at Horatio.

"Yeah Caine, how did that happen?"

"I told you…I don't remember." He answered quietly.

"Perhaps this'll help you" and with that he punched Horatio in the ribs. He cried out as pain exploded through his body and he started breathing in shallow quick breaths. Horatio decided to answer; he didn't want to risk his broken rib puncturing his lung.

"I picked…it up when…I fell on …the table."

"Shit!" Don shouted. "How long has she been gone?"

"I don't know" Horatio knew Don wouldn't believe him and he braced himself expecting Don to hurt him but he couldn't brace himself for the pain that hit him as Don leant on his left knee.

Horatio screamed as his whole body felt like it was on fire. He started sweating and thought he might be sick. He shook his head and his eyes implored Don to stop. He was close to passing out when the kidnapper let go. Don slapped him hard to refocus him. Horatio blinked rapidly, trying to get the sweat out of his eyes and to focus on Don, only just managing to stay awake.

"Really…don't…know…asleep." Don nodded then pressed down on the knee again. Horatio screamed again, but it was cut short as he passed out.

"What'd ya do that for? He told you."

"He pissed me off. Anyway let's get outta here. If she got to the cops they'll be all over the place soon."

"What we gonna do with him?" Rico nodded to the unconscious Lieutenant.

"Kill him. He's seen our faces. We can't risk him id-ing us."

Don took his gun and aimed it Horatio's heart.

Just as he was about to pull the trigger Eric flew through the door and grabbed him, knocking him sideways. Horatio opened his eyes just in time to see the muzzle flash as the gun aimed at him went off. As the force of the bullet as hit him he caught his breath. His right shoulder felt as if a red hot poke had been shoved into it and left there. He could see the blood flowing out onto the sheets and the stain getting bigger and bigger on his white shirt as Eric fought with Don. He also saw Frank walk up to Rico who had his hands up in the air but it didn't stop him landing a punch on his chin knocking him out cold. Eric had wrestled the gun from Don and was now pointing it at him as he was being pushed out of the room. As Frank grabbed the unconscious Rico and pulled him out of the room, Calliegh rushed in, followed by Shannon.

"Oh God! Horatio!"

But Horatio couldn't answer he was starting to feel really tired and cold and was having trouble keeping his eyes open.

She knelt down and softened her voice. "Hey come on, handsome. Look at me. Horatio, don't go to sleep. Got someone here to see you."

She was struggling to keep from crying at the sight of him. Shannon stepped forward and crouched next to him.

"H, I got help like you told me to. You can't die. Not now."

He looked at the fifteen year old and saw the desperation in her eyes.

"Hang… in…there."

"You too, H" she whispered to him and smiled weakly at him.

Horatio felt his hands being cut lose from above his head and someone putting pressure on the wound. He knew there was a lot of activity going on around him, but felt detached from everything, he couldn't move or speak anymore, and all sound was coming to him as if it were from far away. The one thing he did feel before he finally passed out was a small hand holding his cold lifeless hand tightly. Shannon refused to let go of his hand, even when the medics arrived. They tried to stop her going into the ambulance, but Calliegh said it was okay. She had to let go when they finally got to the emergency room just as her dad arrived. She ran to him and burst into tears as she held him tightly.

"Are you ok honey? Did they hurt you? He asked her in tears.

She shook her head. "No, I'm fine, but they really hurt H, Dad, really badly."

"What? Who's H?" Her father asked her, confused.

"Horatio. The policeman who tried to help me. They beat him up and shot him. Dad is he gonna die?" she asked, looking up into her father's eyes desperately.

He stroked her head and told her truthfully. "I don't know honey. But I'm sure the doctors will try their hardest to save him. Come on, let's go home." He went to turn and leave, but Shannon stayed where she was.

"No, Dad. I'm not leaving him" she stubbornly replied.

"Shannon, there's nothing you can do here. You need to come home."

"No! I'm staying here." Shannon shouted just as Calliegh and Eric came round the corner.

"Hey there. What's the matter?" Calleigh asked gently.

"My dad won't let me stay here for H." It was difficult to answer her as both she and Eric were here to stay and Alexx and Ryan were on their way. So she answered truthfully. "Well, I understand how you feel. We are gonna be here too. So you could wait with us as long as your dad is okay with that."

Shannon turned to her dad and pleaded. "Please, Dad? I really wanna do this."

He looked from his daughter to the two CSI's and gave in.

"Okay. I'll go home and get you a change of clothes. Promise me you'll look after her" he asked Eric.

"You got it."


	8. Final chapter

I would just like to say thanks to everyone that reviewed any of my chapters and to those who put me as their favourite story or author. I am really grateful for all the support and to my beta reader Tarhelveteran for all the help . Hope you like the last little bit.

**Chapter 8**

Three hours later Shannon was curled up on a chair, her head resting on Calleigh's shoulder, when the Doctor came over to them. Eric jumped up from his seat and met him.

"How is he?"

"He's lucky to be alive. His body sustained a lot of damage and he lost a lot of blood, but we managed to remove the bullet and repair his knee. He should be fine. He needs lots of rest and to let his body heal."

"Can we see him?" Shannon asked hopefully.

"Normally I'd say no, but knowing your situation, just a few minutes, then he needs to rest. He is heavily sedated and medicated so he won't be very responsive. You can come back and visit properly tomorrow. Okay?"

Shannon walked slowly into the room behind Calleigh and Eric.

Horatio lay with his eyes shut on the bed. His shoulder had been bandaged, and he had stitches in the cut above his eye and a few other cuts on his chest and stomach. Calleigh leaned over and touched his cheek.

"Horatio? It's Calleigh. Are you awake?"

He tried to open his eyes, but he was just too exhausted and still had anaesthetic in his system, so the best he could manage was to lift his hand slightly.

"It's ok. We'll go now. We just wanted to see you. We'll come back tomorrow." She leaned down and kissed him on the forehead.

Horatio finally came round the next day. The first thing he felt was pain. It felt like every part of his body was hurting, and he couldn't think why. He lay still listening to the silence around him, trying to remember why he felt this bad. He went to move his leg, but pain shot out from his knee, making him groan. Then he remembered. The men beating him up, stamping on his knee again and again, the kidnapping he had tried to stop, the young girl Shannon escaping through the window, being shot, then a vague memory of Calleigh, and then nothing.

He slowly opened his eyes. Everything was blurred. His heart started pumping a little faster. Had something happened to his sight? He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and immediately wished he hadn't as his ribs reminded him that at least one of them was broken.

Horatio opened his eyes again. This time his sight was clear, letting him breathe a sigh of relief. He took in the hospital room he was lying in and finally heard the quiet beeping of the monitors attached to him.

Then as he turned his head he saw a sight that made him smile. Calleigh sat asleep in a chair by the window, and Shannon was asleep with her head on her shoulder. He wondered how long they had been there. How long he had been here.

"Sleeping…on...the...job…CSI…Duquene?"

His voice was barely above a croaky whisper, but Calleigh's eyes flew open.

"Horatio." Calleigh's voice dripped with relief as she stood and was at his side in seconds.

"H!"

Shannon had awakened at the sound of Calleigh's voice.

"It's so good to hear your voice. We weren't sure if you were gonna wake up." He could see the tears she was trying to stop from falling. He smiled weakly.

"Good to…see you…too. How long?" Even this short conversation was tiring him.

"Two days. One of the team has been here since you were brought in." Then she looked at Shannon and said

"But Shannon hasn't left your side since we rescued you."

"I'm so glad you're ok. If It hadn't been for you they might have…I might not…"

Shannon couldn't hold back her tears. With a massive effort Horatio lifted his hand and took Shannon's.

"Hey sweetheart…It's the other…way round. I wouldn't be here …if not for…you. Thank you."

Shannon stopped crying and looked into the deep blue eyes staring intently at her. "Okay?"

"Okay." She smiled shyly at him. Calleigh put her hand on the girl's shoulder.

"Shannon, can you go and let the nurse know H is awake? I'll be out in a few seconds."

"Sure. Can I come by and see you later H?"

"Anytime, Shannon, anytime." He squeezed her hand, and she left with a smile. He realised it was the first time he had seen her smile properly since he had known her.

"How's she…doing?" he was feeling weaker and more tired by the second but wanted to talk to Calleigh for just a few more minutes.

"Pretty good, but better know she has spoken to you I think. She refused to leave even after her father came to get her." Calleigh smiled at him. He nodded "She's a good kid."

"How about you? How are you feeling?" Calleigh asked him, the concern evident in her voice.

"Been better" he admitted.

"We were so worried about you. I didn't know if I'd get a chance to tell you how I feel." Calleigh looked down at the floor then took a deep breath and looked directly into his eyes. "I am in love with you and have been for a long time, but didn't know how to tell you. Then this happened and I thought you might be…I didn't think I'd be able to tell you at all. Anyway, I'm not very good at this sort of thing, but this is me telling you. I'm sorry if it upsets you, but I had to let you know." She went to leave, but he put his hand over hers and smiled shyly, tilting his head towards her

"Not upset…not with you…anyway."

Calleigh looked confused.

"Upset with…myself…didn't tell you…I feel same…have done long while." His words were slowing and slurring slightly as he fought the exhaustion and pain medication, making him drift back to sleep.

Calleigh beamed at him. He lifted her hand slowly and kissed her palm and graced her with one of his rare full smiles.

"So…any…chance…of…a…date…beautiful?"

"Sure is, Handsome, just as soon as you get yourself better." She leant forward and kissed him softly on the lips. As she stood he yawned.

"I'd better let you get some sleep. You're gonna need all your strength when you get out of here." She winked and turned to leave. Horatio closed his eyes and fell asleep with a soft smile on his face before she had reached the door.

The end.


End file.
